Android Enjoy TV Nano2 ATV500 pictures and hands-on

Over in Barcelona last week at MWC, Pocket-lint got its first chance to get up close and personal with Geniatech's Apple TV rival for the fandroid community - the confusingly named Android Enjoy TV Nano2 ATV500.

Don't be put of by the long name though, Geniatech's little hobby box is nothing more than a simple way of beaming up Android app action on to your big screen TV.

The company actually makes several iterations of its Android TV boxes although the ATV500, which we had a play with, is by far the most Apple TV-esque, in terms of looks at least.

It connects to your TV via HDMI and replicates the Android experience on the big screen. You can even download specific apps from the Android Market for easy control of the system.

Packing an ARM Cortex A9 CPU and based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the ATV500 allows you to tap into the wide range of IPTV Android apps such as the BBC iPlayer and Netflix and adds gaming to the equation - something its Apple rival does not.

Another plus point compared to the Apple hobby-box is 1080p video - although you will, of course, need to find some apps that have 1080p playback options.

Also packed in are multiple USB ports for memory expansion and peripheral adding, an IR remote control, Flash support, a microSD card reader and up to 8GB of on-board storage (RAM is 512MB).

We saw it playing a few stored videos and had a quick game demo and we loved the way the traditional Android screen is relayed on to the TV. Sure, most high-end Android tablets and smartphones will let you beam up your display wirelessly, but Geniatech's boxes are a nice alternative if you want an always-in-place Android option for your living room.